Posts tagged perks of working at elle

Me and Agyness at the Oyster Box Hotel, Durban.

Maybe I’m exaggerating a little in the headline… But, whatevs. It’s my blog & I can fantasize if I want to… 

This weekend, I was fortunate enough to join the entire glossy mag planisphere on a fab trip to Durban to attend the 031 Collection presented by Mr Price. 

I also had a chance to sit down with international model and fashionista, Agyness Deyn. You can read all about my chat with her in the July edition of ELLE magazine. For now, though, all I’m prepared to say is that she’s an absolute sweetheart, very down-to-earth and so nice it hurts. She’s a lot more reserved and shyer than I’d anticipated, but just so sweet and sooo beautiful. Sigh. 

 The ELLE team wasn’t just in town to swan around with one of the world’s most recognisable faces, though. The main focus was celebrating Durban design talent and unearthing the next generation.  

The 031 Collection initiative was established to give Durban-based design talent a platform to showcase their work. The Saturday night finale opened with Mr Price’s fabulous new range, which we’ll see in stores shortly. The range was co-styled by Mr Price’s Amber Jones and Agyness.  

A shimmery jumpsuit, you say? My favourite look from the range co-styled by Amber Jones and Agyness.

 Eight established design brands – Ruff Tung, Sibu Msimang, Francois Vedemme, Leigh Schubert, Holmes Bros, Terrence Bray, Amanda Laird Cherry and Nguni Shades – showed new ranges.

 But the focus was really on the newbies, with eight young designers vying for the opportunity to win the Mr Price New Designer Award. The judging panel for the award was made up of Lucilla Booyzen of SA Fashion Week, blogger Milisuthando Bongela, designer Leigh Schubert, Mr Price Trend Executive Joanne Coelho and Agyness Deyn.  

Mr Price New Designer Award-winner Cindy Armstrong and Agyness.

All of the finalists produced fresh, innovative ranges, but Cindy Armstrong’s cohesive collection (inspired by the nomadic feel of ‘The Book of Eli’) won her the R20 000 prize money, an internship with Mr Price and the chance to see her designs appear in Mr Price stores. We can’t wait to wear them, Cindy!  

 Some of Cindy’s award-winning designs.

 Here are some of the people I spotted at the show

Mr Price’s Khumo Moshimane is such a cool chicka and I loved her turban and painterly jacket.

No one can accuse Terrence Bray of being boring, that’s for sure. Here he is wearing trousers from his new sportswear range.

I also met this lovely young lady - Stacey Tyler, who designs for Amanda Laird Cherry.

I got a chance to meet and bond with Miss Tarryn Oppel, who will join the ELLE SA team in June as our Cape Town-based fashion assistant. She’s lovely.

Loved that this weekend gave me a chance to spend time with my cool neighbour - the wonderful, accomplished Milli Bongela.

Girl crush moment! Amber Jones, people! I love her work and she’s such a sweetie.

Thanks for the great time 031 Collection, Mr Price, S&A Marketing, Agyness Deyn and The Quarters hotel on Florida Road.

Pics courtesy of me and S&A Marketing.

The beautiful Agyness Deyn is in South Africa (Why? Read all about it HERE) and I’m fortunate enough to be meeting her tomorrow. I’m so excited, I’m about ready to wet myself (no, not really). But I think my mind is definitely going to be blown when faced with this paragon of style. Can. Not. Wait.

Pic via.

Surreal. There I am, on the top floor of Sandton’s new Radisson hotel, faced by two portly men (both old enough to be my father), vying for my attention, each promising ever more lavish gifts.

‘St Tropez of Monaco?’ asks Mr. Silk-Shirt-and-White-Linen-Pants.

‘This man can’t stamp your passport,’ countered Mr Gleaming-Rolex, holding his pungent cigar away from my face.

All talk.

A few tables away, Julius Malema and his entourage are quaffing Dom Perignon. Beautiful 20-somethings with weaves that probably cost more than most people’s car instalments swan around, hoping to catch the eye of a future benefactor. Waiters and waitresses scramble to ensure each table is well stocked with a choice of Moet & Chandon, Dom Perignon or Cristal. I’m surrounded by about 500 of Johannesburg’s beautiful and wealthy people.

The occasion: Kenny Kunene’s 40^th birthday party at his exclusive nightclub, ZAR.

Yes, the party that earned Kenny the nickname Mr Sushi. The do with the R700 000 price tag that attracted the ire of Cosatu’s Zwelinzima Vavi and dominated social discourse at the end of 2010. The party that, in one night of excess, reignited a national conversation about conspicuous consumption, the likes of which we haven’t seen since Khanyi Mbau first zipped around Johannesburg’s congested streets in her yellow Lamborghini.

Conspicuous consumption is, as the name suggests, about wearing your wealth on your sleeve. But this term isn’t new; it was coined in the nineteenth century by economist Thorstein Veblen to refer to the behaviour of America’s ‘leisure class’ - the so-called nouveau riche - characterised by the acquisition of luxuries to display their new-found wealth.

[You can read my entire article on pages 56 - 58 of the March edition of ELLE magazine. On shelves now.]

Let’s ignore the fact that I’m looking a mess without make up… Thula Sindi’s pretty autumn/ winter collection pieces landed in the ELLE office and, given that I’m so tjatjarag, I couldn’t wait to slip on that blue skirt.

It is absolutely gorgeous, but extremely heavy and I could barely breathe. Think it’s time for me to dig out the running shoes again.

Look what dropped into the office yesterday … These pretties from Abigail Betz’s Autumn/ Winter collection. Fresh off the runway! Wowza!

It took three weeks to bead that skirt. Truly, a thing of wonder.

And then who can forget this Kluk CGDT that Lira wore on the February 2011 Fairlady magazine cover? I think she wore it better than the model #Hides.

Pics via here and here.